This is no "keep busy" fight. Felix and Gennady will be watching - Geale

DANIEL Geale won't go easy on Garth Wood next month, because he knows the world is watching.

Boxer Daniel Geale spars at the Grange Old School Boxing gym in Smeaton Grange.

HARRINGTON Park boxer Daniel Geale refuses to treat his upcoming bout with Garth Wood as a "keep busy" fight, because his prime time future in the US depends on it.

The 32-year-old this week announced he would face Wood, a former South Sydney Rabbitohs player and The Contender Australia winner, in a pay-per-view fight at the Hordern Pavilion on February 19.

It will be Geale's first fight since his controversial IBF middleweight world title loss to England's Darren Barker last August, which aired on the HBO network.

Geale, who unified the IBF and WBA belts in 2012, said he had been in talks with Kazakhstan's WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin for a possible fight in April or May.

But Geale rubbished reports the Wood bout was a "warm up".

"I never treat any fight as a 'keep busy' fight. You have to treat every fight like it's a world title, regardless of the fighter or if there's a belt on the line," he said.

"We've been in talks with the Golovkin camp for a fight soon, hopefully in the US, so I can't have a sloppy performance against Garth.

"I know a lot of people around the world will be watching this fight, so I have to prove that I'm still at the top level."

Boxer Daniel Geale spars at the Grange Old School Boxing gym in Smeaton Grange.

Geale said current IBF middleweight champion Felix Sturm, who defeated Barker last month, would also be watching the fight.

"I'd love to go back to Germany and fight Felix Sturm and every fight before that counts."

Geale, who sparred with Wood in preparation for his fight against WBA interim champion Martin Murray (which was cancelled), said the fight would be tough.

"The fact I sparred with Garth to help him before the fight with Murray won't have an impact on the fight," he said.

"Sparring is what it is; once I step in that ring it's a completely different game. He's a fierce fighter and he's had a few KOs."